2024-01-17 13:28:35
“A major plan to combat infertility. » This is what Emmanuel Macron announced during his press conference, organized at the Elysée, Tuesday January 16. A plan to respond to an observation: in France, on average, one couple in four has difficulty becoming parents and the fertility rate of the French population has been declining for several years. In 2023, the total fertility index stood at 1.68 children per woman, compared to 1.79 in 2022, according to the annual demographic report from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee), presented Tuesday. The number of births saw a drop of 6.6% in 2023 compared to 2022.
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The plan presented by the President of the Republic takes up, in broad terms, the conclusions of the expert report delivered in February 2022 by Doctor Samir Hamamah, head of the reproductive biology department of Montpellier University Hospital, and Salomé Berlioux, founder of the association Chemins d’avenirs. In an interview conducted for the “(In)fertile” podcast, the gynecologist discusses his proposals for improving the management of infertility in France.
Dr Samir Hamamah, head of the reproductive biology department at Montpellier University Hospital. THE WORLD
You co-wrote the report on infertility in France. How do you react to the President of the Republic’s announcements?
I am really delighted with this announcement. Infertility emerges from its isolation. It is no longer seen as a shameful illness. We realize that it affects everyone. I am proud to have carried this report at arm’s length. Today, the government released a fund of 30 million euros to work on women’s health. It’s a beginning. Calls for projects to advance research will be published on January 29. It moves !
How to better manage infertility?
By doing prevention. The bioethics law of August 2, 2021 was essential because it now allows women and men, without medical problems, to bank a few eggs or a few sperm straws. But to be complete, we must address young people upstream. It’s time to talk regarding fertility in middle school, with teenagers. It is neither a question of making them feel guilty, nor of moralizing them, nor of making them take the blame, nor of appearing pro-natalist. It’s just a matter of giving them practical advice. The management of infertility must be holistic, going beyond medical.
I would also like a national institute for fertility and births to be created, like what was done with the National Cancer Institute in 2005. This would make it possible to create an interface between all the ministries concerned and to highlight this issue to the general public.
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